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Monday, May 7, 2018

At Woods Edge by E.M. Fitch - Book Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

Cassie's best friend Laney has chosen to become one of the creatures Cassie fears the most. She lost her best friend and the creatures Laney joined won't leave Cassie alone. They are hiding between the trees, letting her know they are there. Cassie used to love the woods, but now she's afraid of them. Laney and her friends have left for a while, but one of the creatures remained. He's sending Cassie flowers and he's watching her all the time. As long as Cassie is the only one who's being bothered she can handle the problem, but what if the other creatures come back and start preying on her classmates again?

Cassie can't tell anyone about the creatures of the trees, because she doesn't know anyone who can see them. Everyone else thinks vandals are causing the problems that arise whenever they're near. Even her closest friends and her boyfriend don't know what's going on with Cassie. She doesn't have any protection and the only one she can rely on is herself. Will she be able to stay safe from those who desperately want her or doesn't she stand a chance because she's on her own?

At Woods Edge is another gripping story about Cassie and the horrors she sees. Cassie is afraid of what's lurking in the forest and rightfully so. The creatures have taken so much from her and they're about to come back for more. I was captivated by Cassie's story from the start. I kept hoping she'd manage to get rid of her creepy stalker and was eager to find out more about the evil that's hiding in the shadows of the trees. E.M Fitch writes about this dark and twisted group of people in a fantastic spellbinding way.

E.M. Fitch has written another creative thrilling story. I loved how she effortlessly plays with tension, an undercurrent of danger is always there and it never leaves completely. Her vivid descriptions of those who are turning Cassie's life into a nightmare kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the setting, the suspense and the unexpected twists and turns in her story. At Woods Egde is a mesmerizing and compelling read.

Advice

If you love creepy stories you will definitely like the Of the Trees series. I'd advise you to read the books in their correct order.

About E.M. Fitch

E. M. Fitch is an author who loves scary stories, chocolate, and tall trees. When not dreaming up new ways to torture characters she is usually corralling her four children, or thinking of ways to tire them out so she can get an hour of peace at night. She lives in Connecticut, surrounded by chaos, which she manages (somewhat successfully) with her husband, Marc.

OF THE TREES began in a cemetery, and that’s where the original idea took root. There’s an old, haunted cemetery in the town I grew up in, everyone knows about it. We’ve even had some famous ghost hunters out poking around. And of course, as high schoolers, that’s where we went to freak each other out at night.

So when it came time to write the sequel, AT WOODS EDGE, I looked back to my teen years for more inspiration. My teen years were spectacular for a new goofy strain of horror films. Picture Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. We had Halloween H2O (Jamie Lee Curtis returns!! with Jen from Dawson’s Creek! What?!) and Urban Legend (Pacey!!!). Okay, okay, just some late 90s nostalgia for you…also Pacey was hot… ahem, moving on. We had a new, fun, gruesome string of tropey horror films that knew they were tropey. They had fun making fun of themselves. You knew the hook on the door handle of the car had been done, but it was fun to do it again. Yes, the stranger with the meat hook chasing you through a rainy night wasn’t new, but it was still exciting!

There’s something enduring about the old, scary urban legends, something that sticks with us. We might all know that creepy old dude at the gas station knew the killer was “in the back seat!” but it doesn’t make it any less terrifying and exciting when the killer pops up brandishing a knife. It’s that jolt of terror, of knowing, that confirmation of fear that’s exciting. And that’s what bled into AT WOODS EDGE, the thrill of fear, and what to do about it. There will always be that crucial moment: do you let fear rule you? Or do you stand up, throw your hair back, and walk out that door—weapon in hand—ready to confront whatever hunted you?

That’s the question Cassie faces at the beginning of AT WOODS EDGE, and that’s the question we all face, every day. Do our fears control us? Or do they force us to grow?

Giveaway

One very lucky reader of With Love For Books will receive a $15 Amazon gift card from E.M. Fitch.

A great guest post to learn where the ideas for the book came from. I am totally not a fan of being scared and am not fond of horror films at all - too scary for me I'm afraid. Books are better, I can't 'un-see' what I've seen in a movie.